QILT finds 9 in 10 WA grads fully employed

Approximately nine in ten graduates from Western Australia’s universities are in full-time employment three years after finishing their studies, according to new, federally-funded survey data.

That puts the state’s universities on par with the national average, with the federal government’s Quality Indicators for Learning and Teaching survey finding nine in ten Australian undergraduates were in full-time work three years after graduating.

The survey, published this morning, showed Curtin University and The University of Notre Dame graduates reporting the highest rate of employment in WA three years after graduating, with 91 per cent of graduates currently in full-time work.

That was followed by Murdoch University, where 90 per cent of graduates reported being in full-time work, and the University of Western Australia and Edith Cowan University, where respectively 88 and 86 per cent of graduates reported being fully employed.

Universities Australia chief executive Catriona Jackson said the data showed the value in holding a university education.

“Australian graduates are remarkably successful competitors in the job market," Ms Jackson said.

“Within four months of completing their undergraduate degrees, around 73 per cent of all graduates are in full-time work

“This proportion increases to 90 per cent after three years.

“It is interesting to note that in 2020, the overall employment rate for humanities, culture and social sciences was 87 per cent three years after completing their degree, the same rate for science and mathematics graduates.”

More to come.